Susan Hepler, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
A fresh and original collection of poems features comments from a crow point of view, and from a child's observations. They capture the annoying, curious, loud, and remarkable features of this often misunderstood bird. Saport's brilliant pastel illustrations are perfectly suited to this bold collection and show well to groups of listeners. Many are aerial views or shots through the trees with the black crow bodies as counterpoint and emphasis on brilliant backgrounds. An author's note conveys factual information about crows and would pair perfectly with Laurence Pringle's recent nonfiction title, Crows! Wild and Wonderful (Boyds Mills, 2002). 2002, Clarion Books, $16.00. Ages 7 to 12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2002 (Vol. 70, No. 16))
Crows and more crows fill the pages of this collection of poems. As she indicates in an introductory poem, Singer (Boo Hoo, Boo-Boo, p. 579, etc.) attempts to present crows from every possible point of view, including that of the crows themselves. Some humans see the crow as a practical joker, a nuisance; some watch and comment upon their habits. A movie critic comments upon their use as symbols of fear, while an artist and poet see their beauty. Even pigs, dogs, and other birds express their opinion. The crows admire themselves and their talents. Although some of the poems work better than others, most of them read as prose, engaging neither the ear nor the heart. The format is a bit confusing. Each poem appears as part of a two-page spread, with the title sometimes far enough away from the text so it may be overlooked. Not that the titles, such as "The Father," "The Boy," and "The Youngster," are interesting or even helpful, although they do give a clue as to the narrator. Some of the titles are repeated and can represent a human or animal voice. Saport's (Before You Were Born, p. 893, etc.) vivid pastels, while richly colorful, are mundane depictions of the most basic action of the text. The author's note at the end of the work is actually more engaging than everything that precedes it because it demonstrates a real love and understanding of the birds. An illustrated nonfiction account of crows and their habits might have been much more successful-see Pringle, above. 2002, Clarion, $16.00. Category: Poetry. Ages 7 to 9. © 2002 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December 2002 (Vol. 56, No. 4))
If you’ve provided the facts about crows with Pringle’s title (reviewed above), here’s a complementary dose of poetic fancy. Nearly two dozen poems treat the familiar birds from a variety of perspectives, such as those of the people below (“The Girl,” “The Movie Critic,” “The Farmer”), other critters (“The Dog,” “The Titmouse”), and various crows themselves (“The Suitor,” “The Father”). Singer’s language is as lithe and lively as her subjects, her poems cleverly crafted with gleeful soundplay, deft rhythms, neat internal and end-rhymes, and forms varied to suit the speaker: “The Mother” tenderly tells her hatchlings, “But only you/ my newly eggless/ little beggars/ ever get to hear me/ croon”; “The Birdwatcher” contemplates crow knowledge: “Does it ponder/ who are we?/ Or does a crow/ already know?” Saport’s thickly pigmented, expressionistic pastels are a bounty of strong, contrasting colors and shapes; the art is stronger in its portraits of other animals than of the crows themselves, but the visual leitmotif of their dark figures punctuates each spread and draws the book together. This is an elegant and evocative collection that’s eminently suitable, should the weather and the local avian population oblige, for an outside reading. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2002, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2002, Clarion, 48p, $16.00. Grades 4-7.